Insolvency specialist Poppleton & Appleby has been appointed administrator of womenswear brand Viyella.

Andrew Turpin, of Poppleton & Appleby said in a statement: 'The Viyella brand is trusted and respected both at home and abroad, and we expect that the prospect of a sale of the brand and the infrastructure will raise significant interest amongst other retailers. Indeed we have already been contacted by interested parties.'

'We are currently assessing all options and, for the time being, allowing all the existing stores to continue to trade while a buyer is sought for the business.”'

The clothing brand, which was founded in 1784, was the world's first branded cloth and recently supplied womenswear to retailers such as Marks & Spencer. It employs about 450 staff.

Further reading:

Deloitte in at struggling Passion